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ADDRESS BY
CHARLES DUTOIT
（video） Good morning ladies and gentlemen. My name is Charles Dutoit. I am very sorry I cannot be with you this morning in Fuoshan. However I have been in your country many times. The first time was in 1982; then in 1986 with my daughter and we visited several provinces including Tibet. In 1986 I came as a professional musician with the Orchestre National de France touring China and Japan. We played in Beijing and Shanghai, and gave master classes in the Central Conservatoire in Beijing. After the concert we had dinner where I was surrounded by politicians. We talked about what to do to encourage Western musical life in China again. The discussion was very interesting and I promised them the first opportunity I had I would come and do something for these young people who are so gifted but had poor instruments etc. I came in 1997 and I worked with the China Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing and gave master classes. Then I came again with a French orchestra and later with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, always playing in Beijing and Shanghai. A couple of months ago I was at the Beijing Music Festival with the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra, a group of very young people but extremely gifted. I met my old friend Maestro Long Yu there. That was when I heard for the first time of a summer activity, an academy in Guangzhou. All of us, at a certain age and point in our lives, feel it is time to transmit our experiences and our knowledge to young people. Therefore in recent years I have been very involved in giving master classes not only in China, but also courses in Japan and Buenos Aires, not counting several others in North America. However master classes are very short activities; so when I heard of the idea to create an academy I became extremely interested. I was asked if I would be interested to have a position in that and I said, “Yes” . I have the great fortune to be surrounded by some fantastic people. Maestro Long Yu who of course is a very old friend; and Prof. Lo who has great experience in administration – as you know he was Director of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. I am also bringing in a wonderful violinist from Canada, Miss Chantal Juillet, who has great experience in directing courses of chamber music and organising festivals. She has held several positions and has many years of experience. She will help us with her knowledge to not only organise chamber music concerts, teach and give master classes, but also to choose the tutors - the musicians from the leading orchestras of the world who are going to come and train all these young people. We have people from the Royal Concertgebouw from Amsterdam, from New York, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Montreal and several other orchestras coming to help the young Chinese and South Asian musicians to acquire knowledge of style, sound and ensemble music, which I think is the basic training for every musician. So it is a great thing that is going to happen here. Fuoshan and Guangzhou are marvellous cities. I have seen the site of the summer academy – it is like a paradise; it is extraordinary. When I went there I knew I could do something very special. I really look forward to coming here and opening this academy and working with these young people and also for the city of Fuoshan and Guangzhou. I send you all my best wishes and I will see you again soon. Thank you.
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